Gloria

One taste of Gloria’s culinary creations and you won’t believe she ever had trouble getting her business off the ground. Back home in Veracruz, Mexico, Gloria owned several small businesses that struggled financially, but she never lost her entrepreneurial spirit. When she moved to the United States in 1997 Gloria worked at restaurants and bakeries but longed to build something of her own. She started small with a home-based catering business with plans to eventually purchase a food truck.

Gloria enrolled in Mi Casa’s Éxito para Negocios (Business Success) entrepreneurial training class and solidified her business plan, including a strategy for marketing and obtaining capital. Because of financial challenges Gloria is not eligible for a traditional bank loan. But with Mi Casa’s help, Gloria connected with the Kiva Zip program, a crowd-funded microloan opportunity. Gloria is eligible for a $5,000, zero interest loan through the Kiva program, and her loan is already more than 80% funded by lenders on the Kiva site!

Gloria is well on her way to opening her food truck, which will specialize in Mexican food from the east coast of the country and the Veracruz region where Gloria is from. “My business is getting off to a very strong start, and for me the support of Mi Casa’s Women’s Business Center was essential.” says Gloria. “And I know I can count on Mi Casa in the future to help my business grow.”